Bloodlines
by TheFictionalMe
Summary: It's been five years since Nick was presumed dead after another attack by the Verrat, leaving everyone behind, including Juliette and their newborn son. But as Portland falls apart and an imminent threat looms from Europe, the Grimm Gang learns that nothing is as it seems, and that sometimes, it's never really over. AU.
1. Prologue

**A/N:**

**Hello! Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out my next multi-chapter story in the Grimm fandom. This one will be looong, with a prologue, two parts, and an epilogue, so I hope you all enjoy!**

**That being said, I won't give any specific warnings per say for this story, other than it will have some humor and fluff, many twists and turns, as well as a lot of ANGST and sad panda days for our Grimm Gang. As you can kind of tell from the summary…this is going to be a rough and bumpy ride. If you need more specific warnings, please PM me.**

**This will be mostly canon through Season 3 with the exception of a few things: Eric is still alive (c'mon do we really believe it was _that_ easy to kill him off?), Nick's powers are back, and there will be no mention of Trubel or Diana. I started writing this in mid-Season 2 and I couldn't figure out an easy way to tie either of them into this story, although I adore them both! (My head canon is that Trubel joined Kelly and Diana after Nick trained her, and that when Kelly eventually pops in this story, Trubel is finally mature enough to watch Diana). Hope that helps explain their absence from this story. I'd say that Part 1 of this story takes place in Season 5 or 6 let's say, with the Prologue and Part 2 being five years after that.**

**Ok, enough from me. On to the story, please let me know what you think or if I should keep going! Better buckle yourselves in for this one…**

**~Fictional**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Grimm. Bummer.**

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

"It's Reed's birthday today."

Monroe looked up from the antique cuckoo clock he was painstakingly putting back together to look up at his wife as she leaned in the doorway. Clad in only his favorite flannel shirt with the early morning sun streaming in behind her, she was truly a beautiful sight.

"I know," he smiled, leaning back in his chair and setting down his screwdriver. "I'm going to call Juliette in a little bit and see what her and my favorite godson are up to today."

Rosalee chuckled. "Your only godson you mean. Wow, I can't believe he is five already."

"Me either," Monroe agreed, before his smile slowly fell as he looked back at her.

"It's really been five years, hasn't it?"

Rosalee's brows furrowed seriously as she carefully regarded her husband. "Yea. Yea it has."

Monroe frowned, turning back to absently study the clock before him on the work table. "Nick has really been gone for five years."

"It doesn't even seem possible," Rosalee replied quietly, watching Monroe now with worried eyes. "So much has happened since then. Do you ever wonder how different things would be right now if he was still…" she trailed off with a shake of her head, unable to finish her sentence.

Monroe turned back to her with a pained look clearly etched on his face. "What, if Nick was still alive? Yea, I wonder that all the time." He sighed deeply, taking off his glasses and tossing them carelessly on the table as he scrubbed a hand roughly over his face. "And I wonder all the time what I could have done differently that night, how I could have stopped him…"

"Monroe," Rosalee quickly cut him off, striding into the room and coming to a stop in front of his chair. "We've been over this. What happened to Nick was NOT your fault. There was nothing you could have done."

Monroe looked up sadly at his wife, shaking his head in disagreement. "There are a million things I should have done, Rosalee. I should have had his back, I should have helped him, I should have _stopped_ him…"

Rosalee quickly stepped forward and sat down in Monroe's lap, intertwining her arms firmly around his neck. "Monroe, don't. Don't do that to yourself. There was _never_ any stopping Nick, and you know that. You couldn't have kept him from doing what he did if you tried. And you did what he asked you to do…save his wife and newborn son. Juliette and Reed are alive because you protected them that night instead. You have to realize that."

Monroe nodded slowly, breaking eye contact with Rosalee and staring at the ceiling, letting out a deep breath as he tried to compose his rising emotions. After a long moment, his gaze fell back to her beautiful face. "I know, I know that, it's just…no matter what, Nick still died that night, and there was nothing any of us could do to stop it. It's not right. He should be here, right now. He should be with Juliette, he should be seeing his son grow up, he should be protecting Portland..."

Monroe stopped at that, unable to finish, as he furiously blinked back unwanted tears. Even after all this time, the emotions were still so strong for all of them, still raw and bleeding. Sometimes it felt as though Nick had just been taken from them five days ago instead of five years. It never failed to surprise Monroe like a punch in the gut with how sharp the pain and grief still were, always just bubbling under the surface, until a memory or a moment brought it freshly back up.

Rosalee leaned forward then and pulled him against her, enveloping him in a tight embrace. They sat like that for several moments, just clinging to each other in the early morning quiet.

"You did the right thing," she whispered finally into his ear, before pulling back to look at him, cupping his cheek gently. "Because of you, Juliette and Reed are safe, and that's all he ever would have wanted."

"Yea, I know," Monroe sighed, giving her a pained smile. "But that doesn't change the fact that Nick's not here, and now Portland is falling apart without him."

"Yea, things would be so different here if he was still around," Rosalee agreed quietly, running her hands soothingly through his hair. "And ever since Captain Renard went off to Europe, Portland has really taken a turn for the worse."

"As if this place could get any weirder," Monroe replied sardonically, and she smiled in relief as he sounded more like himself again. "If Renard ever does come back, I don't think he'll recognize this place."

Within a few months of Nick's death, Renard had left Portland and returned to Europe to forge an uneasy alliance with his estranged Royal family, who had inadvertently been behind Nick's death, with their orders to the Verrat to eliminate the Portland Grimm. Renard and Nick had been working together to establish order and new world rule in Portland, separate from the Seven Families in Europe.

Of course, the other Families didn't like that. Enter Renard's brother Eric, who was surprisingly still very much _alive_. Eric, as usual, was always overzealous and eager for bloodshed and turmoil if it further secured his place of power, especially under the direction of his and Renard's father, the king. The Family had decided that it was time to show Renard and Nick who the real power players were, by eliminating the Portland Grimm once and for all and getting their hands on the last two keys, which they had somehow learned Nick had in his possession. The best and deadliest agents of the Verrat had swarmed Portland, but their plan had only partly succeeded: Nick was gone, but with him the keys as well.

After the attack by the Verrat, Renard had sworn to Monroe and the others revenge for Nick and to take down his family once and for all, and that meant getting close enough to them in order to take them out from the inside. So Renard had gone to Europe upon invitation from his brother, and left the fate of Portland into the hands of those left behind while he dealt with a higher political power.

That had been almost five years ago, and Renard still hadn't yet returned, although he had promised Monroe and Rosalee that he someday would once his plan was complete.

In the meanwhile, the Wesen of Portland had begun to run rampant without Renard to rule with an iron fist, or Nick being there to enforce a fair and just order. The Portland PD, not knowing what they were truly up against, had had an incredibly difficult time keeping order in a once fairly peaceful city. Even Hank had left. After Nick's death and Renard's absence, Hank couldn't stomach working at the Portland precinct anymore. He had transferred to a different precinct, remarried (for the fifth time), and moved to the suburbs about an hour away.

If Nick were still alive and Renard still around, Monroe and Rosalee had no doubt that Portland would be a very different place, the same place that they had once loved to call their home.

Monroe was drawn out of his reverie suddenly by the shrill ringing of his phone. Rosalee stood up from his lap so that he could quickly fish the phone out of his pocket. Once he saw the caller ID, a small smile crossed his face as he glanced back at Rosalee.

"It's Juliette," he told her, and she smiled in return as he moved to answer the phone.

"I'm going to go make breakfast," Rosalee whispered, quickly pecking his cheek before leaving the room. "Tell her I say hi." Monroe nodded and then pressed the button on his phone to answer.

"Hey Juliette," Monroe greeted warmly, standing up from his work chair and stretching.

_"Hey Uncle Monroe!"_ a small voice echoed through the phone, and Monroe broke into a wide grin at the sound of his godson's voice.

"Well hey there Reed," he chuckled into the phone. "Aren't you up a little early?"

_"Uh, no,"_ Reed answered, clearly taken aback by Monroe's suggestion. _"Hey, guess what?"_

"What's that?" Monroe replied in amusement at the enthusiasm in Reed's voice.

_"It's my birfday!"_ Reed exclaimed, and Monroe winced, pulling the phone away from his ear. He could hear Rosalee chuckling from the other room, no doubt able to hear everything that Reed was saying as well.

"Hey, isn't that great!" Monroe replied cheerfully. "Happy birthday buddy."

_"And guess what else?"_ Reed continued, sounding out of breath. Monroe imagined the energetic little boy jumping up and down, breathless with excitement.

"What's that?" Monroe asked again, smiling at the thought of Reed running in circles around Juliette while she tried to grab the phone. That was how most of their conversations went.

_"I'm five!"_ Reed exclaimed, and Monroe heard a thud that meant he had no doubt dropped the phone in his eagerness.

"Reed?" Monroe asked, as he heard scrambling and voices in the background. "Hello?"

_"Hi Monroe,"_ Juliette's voice floated over the line then. _"Sorry, Reed got a little excited."_

Monroe laughed at that, leaning back against his work table. "I figured as much. He's a real ball of energy today. And he's up this early?"

_"Yea, I know,"_ she chuckled knowingly. _"Five is a big birthday."_

"Indeed, it is," Monroe agreed. "Do you guys have any big plans today up there in Seattle?"

_"Well,"_ Juliette hesitated, and Monroe stood up straight, immediately sensing something in her tone. _"That's actually why I called."_

"Is everything ok?" he asked worriedly, his heart skipping a beat at the thought that something had happened. He had promised Nick that he would protect Juliette and Reed at all costs should anything ever happen to him, and it was a promise he was taking to the grave.

_"Yea, yea, everything's fine, it's just…"_ she trailed off, sounding as though she was vainly trying to gather her thoughts.

"What is it?" Monroe urged, desperately trying to hide the worry in his voice. "Juliette, what's going on?"

_"How would you feel about some visitors?"_ she finally replied, causing Monroe to scratch his head in confusion.

"Visitors?" he replied, sounding dumbfounded. "Are you guys coming to Portland?"

Juliette had taken Reed and moved just outside of Seattle shortly after Nick's death, at Renard's instruction and urging. They had all together agreed it would be safer for Juliette to relocate somewhere that no one knew that she had been involved with a Grimm…or that her son would likely grow up to be one someday. Portland just wasn't safe for them anymore, and she hadn't been back since.

_"Yea, we are,"_ Juliette pulled him out of his wandering thoughts.

"Really?" Monroe asked in complete surprise. "Why? When?"

_"Well, we're about to leave right now, actually,"_ she replied hesitantly. _"I hope that's ok."_

"Of course," Monroe quickly replied in reassurance. "You guys are always welcome here. It's just…is this a good idea, Juliette? I know we all agreed it was safest for you and Reed to leave Portland…and things are even worse here now, you know that."

Juliette was quiet for such a long moment that Monroe thought the connection was lost. "Uh, hello?"

_"Sorry, I'm here,"_ she replied quietly, and Monroe could clearly hear the sadness and longing in her voice. _"It's just…five years. He's been gone for five years, Monroe. I can't believe it."_

Monroe swallowed thickly, fighting down another surge of emotions as he struggled to keep his voice steady. "I know. Honestly, sometimes it still feels like it just happened."

_"It still hurts,"_ Juliette let out a shaky breath through the phone, _"like it just happened. I miss him so much."_

"We all do," Monroe replied sadly, a million old memories of Nick coming to the forefront of his mind. "Things haven't been the same without him."

_"They never will be,"_ Juliette replied quietly, and he heard her clear her throat, no doubt trying to keep her composure in front of Reed. _"I just wish that Reed would have had the chance to know him."_

"Nick would have been such a great dad," Monroe agreed, smiling at the distant memory of the one and only time Nick had gotten to hold his son, on the night he was born, before losing his life that same night in order to protect him. It seemed that Reed was already following in the sad and lonely footsteps of his ancestors, named for a grandfather he would never know and looking exactly like a father he would never remember. "Reed reminds me so much of him already."

_"He looks just like him,"_ Juliette replied, nearly reading Monroe's thoughts, and he nodded absently in agreement, although he knew she couldn't see him. _"It's unreal."_

"He's going to be just like Nick," Monroe agreed, his heart swelling with pride at the thought of Nick's son turning into the same kind of man his father had been. Nick would have been so proud of Reed, Monroe had no doubt about that. It was so unfair that Nick couldn't be around to see it for himself.

_"I know,"_ Juliette said, but Monroe sensed her hesitating again, and waited patiently for her to continue. _"That's actually why we're coming to Portland."_

"What do you mean?" he asked in confusion, concern evident in his tone.

_"He can see them, Monroe."_

Monroe froze at her words, almost dropping the phone in the process. It wasn't possible, it just _wasn't_. Reed was too young, it couldn't happen yet, it would take more time…

He finally found his voice again and replied.

"Juliette, do you mean…"

_"Reed can see Wesen."_

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><p><em>TBC<em>


	2. Part 1-Chapter 1

**A/N:**

**Thank you thank you to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited it this! You all are the BEST.**

**This chapter will have a little foreshadowing, but it's mostly filled with friendship fluff and happy times. Enjoy it now because in a few chapters…that's all gonna end. **

**Lastly, I realize what a relatively small fandom this is, and I know some of you wonderful readers are also fellow fanfic authors, and I just wanted to say thank you for writing in this fandom! I limit myself from reading when I'm trying to finish my own work (because my muse is SO picky), but please know that you are appreciated! There really needs to be more of us.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own. I wish.**

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><p><strong>Part 1<strong>

_Five years ago_

"Wait, wait, be careful," Nick anxiously held out his arm. "Here, take my hand."

Juliette paused at the bottom of the porch steps, giving him an amused look. "Nick, I'm pregnant, not incapable. I can make it up the stairs by myself."

Nick managed to look slightly chagrined at her words. "Sorry. I know I'm being…"

"Ridiculous?" Juliette offered with an arched eyebrow as she looked back at him.

"I was going to say cautious, but yea, maybe that too," he laughed, shaking his head.

"Well," Juliette smiled, giving in and taking his outstretched hand, "luckily for you I think it's kind of adorable."

"Well, that's good, because I'm sure I'm only going to get worse once the baby gets here," Nick grinned knowingly as he gently guided her up the steps.

"Good thing we won't have too wait much longer," she let out a contented sigh as they reached the front door, gently resting her hands over the rounded bump of her stomach underneath the heavy layers of her coat.

A slightly terrified look crossed Nick's face at that thought. "Yea, I know. It still doesn't seem possible that we're having a _baby_. I don't think I've really wrapped my mind around that yet."

Juliette squeezed his hand gently as they stopped in front of the door. "Well you better get used to that idea soon. This baby could come any time now."

Nick swallowed thickly. "Right. Trust me, I haven't forgotten."

"Don't be so nervous," Juliette leaned over and laid a gentle kiss on his cheek. "You're going to be a great father, Nick."

He smiled gratefully at her words. "And you'll be a great mother." He paused at that thought, shaking his head in slight disbelief. "Something I'd never thought we'd be saying: us as parents."

"But I'm so thankful that we get to," Juliette beamed at him, and Nick couldn't help but think that she was absolutely glowing.

She had never looked more beautiful.

He squeezed her hand firmly in return. "Me too."

"So, why did Monroe and Rosalee want us to come over tonight?" she asked then as Nick raised his hand to knock on their front door.

He shrugged at that. "Not really sure. He said they had something they wanted to give us, for the baby."

"They don't need to get us anything else," Juliette furrowed her eyebrows. "They already gave us so much at the shower."

"Yea," Nick nodded in agreement, "I don't know. I'm not sure what they're up to, which is why I didn't come empty handed," he gestured with his other hand to the case of new microbrews he had picked up for Monroe, in way of thanks. He had barely rapped his knuckles on the front door when Monroe swung the door wide open.

"Hey guys!" he greeted cheerfully, quickly ushering them into the house and shutting the door behind them. "Glad you could make it."

"Hey Monroe," Nick replied as they walked inside, shaking his hand firmly. "And these," he handed him the beer case, "are for you."

"Dude, I've been wanting to try these," Monroe nodded approvingly at him as he took the beer. "I have to say, your taste in beer is improving."

"I have you to thank for that," Nick grinned at him as he turned to Juliette and helped her with her coat.

"Thanks for having us over," Juliette smiled warmly at Monroe as he took their coats from Nick and hung them on the coat rack by the door.

"Of course," Monroe replied as he ushered them into the living room. "Come on in and have a seat."

"Hey," Rosalee met them in the living room as they walked in, pulling Juliette into a hug while carefully avoiding crushing her stomach. "How are you feeling?"

"Actually, I feel great," Juliette smiled, moving to lower herself onto the couch. Nick was suddenly hovering at her side again, helping her sit down slowly. She sighed at his protectiveness, before turning back to Monroe and Rosalee as they sat down across from them. "I'm _really_ ready for this baby to come, though."

"I think it's so great that you guys didn't find out the sex," Rosalee smiled at her. "Do you have any guesses to what it is?"

Juliette laughed, shaking her head, as her hands came up to rest on her rounded bump again. "No, I really don't. But I like to terrify Nick and tell him that it's a girl."

Monroe snorted, unable to suppress a grin. "Now _that_ is funny."

"Yea, real hilarious," Nick muttered from his seat next to Juliette on the couch, throwing Monroe a look of mock irritation as he put his arm around her shoulders. "Either way, I just want the baby to be healthy."

"Yea, it doesn't really matter to us," Juliette nodded in agreement. "We're just so excited to meet him or her."

"I bet," Rosalee replied with a laugh. "How far past your due date are you now?"

"Three days," Nick answered a little too quickly, pausing when he saw the looks they all gave him in response. "What?"

"Uh, dude," Monroe raised an eyebrow at him, "really?"

Nick shook his head, but paused again when he saw the dubious looks he was still getting from all of them. "Ok," he sighed in defeat, "ok. Maybe I'm a little...nervous."

"More than a little," Monroe began, grunting suddenly when Rosalee gently nudged him in the ribs in warning at the unamused look on Nick's face.

"Anyways," Juliette chuckled at them, patting Nick's knee in reassurance, "yea, I'm three days past due. All this waiting is the hardest part."

"Most first babies tend to run a little late," Rosalee smiled sympathetically at her. "But don't worry, when the baby is ready, he or she will be here."

"I know," Juliette sighed, leaning into Nick's side and trying to get comfortable, which was currently an impossible feat at nine months pregnant. "I can't wait."

"Well," Monroe shared a look with Rosalee then before turning back to them, "we have something for you guys that might make the waiting a little more bearable."

Nick blinked at him in confusion. "But you guys have done so much for us already. You didn't need to get us anything else."

"It's not so much something we got you," Rosalee replied as she and Monroe both stood up, sharing another secret glance, "but it's something unique we wanted to give our godson or daughter. Something more…special."

Juliette and Nick shared their own look then, before turning back to their friends. "Well, whatever it is, thank you. You didn't need to do that," Juliette replied, going to stand up with Nick's ever persistent help.

"No, no, you two just wait right there," Monroe quickly stopped them, holding up his hands. "We'll bring it to you. Just close your eyes."

"Close our eyes?" Nick looked at him suspiciously. "Monroe, what are you up to?"

"Just trust us, man," Monroe encouraged with a knowing look.

Nick sighed, giving him a wry smile. "Ok, ok. My eyes are closed." He clamped them firmly shut, as Juliette followed his lead and did the same.

"Ok, now no peeking," Rosalee warned them firmly as she and Monroe left the room.

"We won't," Juliette chuckled, squeezing Nick's hand as they remained in the living room with their eyes closed.

There was a loud noise then as if Monroe and Rosalee were rolling something large and heavy across the floor from the dining room, and some grunting as Monroe pushed it further into the room.

"Ok, on the count of three," Monroe finally said, catching his breath, "you can open your eyes."

"Ready?" Rosalee chimed in, as she and Monroe began counting together.

"One, two, three!"

Juliette and Nick opened their eyes simultaneously, and they were both completely astonished to see what lie before them.

An exquisite wooden crib, undoubtedly handmade from a high quality cherry wood, was now on display in the living room in front of them. It was beautifully detailed, shining with a fresh polished lacquer, and as Juliette and Nick got up from the couch and moved closer to inspect it, they immediately noticed the series of intricate carvings along the entire length of the wooden top rails.

They were of a wolf and a fox.

"Oh my God," Juliette breathed as she gently ran a hand along the polished top rail of the crib, "this is so beautiful!"

"Monroe," Nick turned to look over at his friend in complete surprise as the realization hit him, "did you _make_ this?"

Monroe shrugged casually, smiling slightly and looking embarrassed and proud all at once. "Yea, I did."

"He even hand carved every detail," Rosalee pointed out proudly. "Every part of this crib was made by hand, by him."

"Oh, wow, thank you," Juliette smiled brightly, tears of joy welling up in her eyes. "Thank you so much!" She stepped forwards then to pull Monroe into a tight hug, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, before moving over to hug Rosalee. She stepped back, dabbing slightly at her tears. "This is the greatest present anyone could have given our child. Thank you."

"Of course," Rosalee squeezed her arm. "We just want to make sure our godchild has the best of everything."

"And that he or she feels protected," Monroe added. "That's why I added the carvings of the fox and the wolf. So that way your kid would know that we're always looking out for them."

"Man, this is…this is amazing," Nick responded quietly, blinking back his own tears as he smiled gratefully at his friends. He walked over to pull Rosalee into a warm embrace, and then he gave Monroe a tight hug as well. "I don't know what else to say, just…thank you. Seriously."

"Yea man," Monroe patted his back firmly, looking slightly relieved that they liked it so much, "you're welcome. I'm just glad you guys like it."

"Like it? We love it!" Juliette responded quickly with a bright smile. "You guys are such wonderful godparents already."

"Yea, Hank might need to step up his game as co-godparent now," Monroe grinned then, making them all laugh.

Just then, Nick's phone started ringing, effectively interrupting the special moment. It never failed. He sighed, fishing it out of his back pocket when he saw it was Captain Renard. He looked up at them apologetically.

"Sorry guys, but I have to take this. I'll be right back," he motioned at them, stepping out of the room and going out of the house onto the back porch. Once he was out of earshot, he accepted the call.

"Captain," Nick greeted tersely as he answered the phone.

_"Nick,"_ Renard's voice came over the phone. _"Sorry to call you so late, but this couldn't wait."_

"No, that's ok," Nick replied quickly. "What's going on?"

_"It might not mean anything yet,"_ Renard answered seriously, _"but I've just learned of some events that I thought you should be aware of."_

Nick furrowed his brow worriedly at this. Things had been quiet for months now on both the Royal and Wesen fronts, much to his relief with the baby coming, but he knew that it couldn't last forever. "Ok, what is it?"

_"One of my contacts in the Resistance just let me know that a group of Grimms, who were in allegiance with the Resistance, were publicly executed in Vienna by the Verrat…under orders by my family. It seems as though they are making a move again, or at least sending a message. I don't know if that means anything for us yet, but we need to be prepared." _

"Yea," Nick sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead at this information. "Yea, that's good to know, just in case something big is headed our way."

_"I don't know that it is, but knowing my family…"_ Renard trailed off, but Nick already knew what he meant. Since Renard had established his own House in Portland, separate from the rest of the Royal Families, and with a Grimm at his side, it had certainly put some targets on both of their backs, more than ever before.

Not to mention that Nick still had two of the seven keys, although the Royal families currently only knew about the one he had inherited from Aunt Marie. So far, they had managed to keep hidden the fact that he now had a second key, thanks to Rolek Porter, with only Josh Porter and the rest of the Grimm Gang knowing its true whereabouts.

_"Just watch your back,"_ Renard warned him carefully. _"Might be nothing, but for some reason, when it comes to my family, I know better."_

"Yea, unfortunately that's true," Nick responded with another sigh. "Ok, thanks for the warning. Watch yours too."

_"I will. We'll be in touch,"_ Renard replied simply as he hung up.

"Hey man, is everything ok?" Monroe interrupted just then, stepping out onto the back porch with two bottles of the new microbrew in his hands.

"Yea," Nick gratefully accepted the beer and tried to shrug off what he'd just learned as if it was no big deal. "Yea, everything's fine."

"Ok," Monroe sounded unconvinced, but he let it go as he raised his bottle to Nick's. "Cheers to you and Juliette man, and my soon-to-be godson or goddaughter."

"Thanks man," Nick mustered up a genuine smile as he clinked his bottle with Monroe's. With that, he took a long draw from the beer, trying to settle his nerves.

It could really be nothing, but Renard's warning had him a little on edge. The baby was due any day now, and he was already so worried about that, and Juliette and the baby being involved in his dangerous life. What had happened to those Grimms in Europe at the hands of Renard's family could easily happen to him, should they decide to make a move and eliminate him, and even Renard, once and for all. He fleetingly hoped that his mother, wherever she currently was, had managed to make it somewhere too far off the grid for the Royals to ever find her. He hadn't heard from her for months, and he tried unsuccessfully to push his nagging worry for her to the back of his mind. Being a Grimm meant always having to look over your shoulder, and although Nick understood that, he now had his own family to worry about.

"You sure everything's ok?" Monroe asked again, looking at him skeptically as he noticed Nick was lost deep in thought, a serious look etched on his face. Nick sighed, knowing it was nearly impossible to hide anything from his closest friend. However, until he knew it was actually something to be concerned about, he didn't want to worry them all unnecessarily, especially with Juliette due any day now. The extra stress wouldn't be good for her or the baby. It was better he kept this news to himself unless they really needed to know.

"Yea, I'm sure," Nick offered his best smile, although he knew Monroe could see right through it.

"Whatever you say," Monroe narrowed his eyes at him in doubt, taking a long drink from his own bottle before gently squeezing Nick on the shoulder. "Just know I'm here for you, whatever you need."

Nick nodded gratefully at him. "I know, Monroe. Thank you, really, for everything. For the crib. That's really great of you to do for us."

"Of course, man," Monroe smiled genuinely at him. "What are friends for?"

"It's just," Nick held his gaze steadily, "I don't think I thank you enough." He paused, looking at the ground for a minute before looking back up at Monroe. "So, I'm just trying to say…thank you, you know, for always having my back."

"Well, you always have mine," Monroe shrugged nonchalantly at that. "That's what we do, Nick. Keep each other out of trouble. And hopefully, alive."

Nick nodded knowingly at him, before his smile slowly fell, the foreboding news Renard had given him still turning over heavily in his mind. He turned back to Monroe with a solemn look now on his face.

"Monroe."

Monroe froze at Nick's suddenly somber tone, and he frowned as he looked back over at him. "Uh oh…what's going on?"

"I need you to promise me something."

"Yea, what is it?" he raised an eyebrow as Nick paused, waiting for him to continue.

"If anything ever happens to me…"

"C'mon man," Monroe interrupted him, shaking his head, "don't be so dramatic."

"Monroe, just listen," Nick implored seriously, needing him to listen, and Monroe sighed in defeat.

"Ok, ok, continue."

Nick nodded, taking a deep breath to steady himself. "If anything ever happens to me, promise me that you will look out for Juliette and our child."

"Seriously dude? Where is this coming from?" Monroe looked back at Nick in disbelief. "What was that phone call about?"

"Nothing," Nick quickly dodged the question, "but is it really that surprising that something might happen to me?"

Monroe sighed heavily at that, putting a hand up to his chin and looking back at him. "I mean, since most Wesen and the Royal Families want your head on a stake…no, I guess not."

Nick took a step closer then, regarding him with an unnervingly serious expression. "So promise me."

"Nick…"

"Promise me."

Monroe sighed again, taking another long drink from his beer before setting it down more forcefully then he meant to on the railing of the back porch. "I promise. Of course I would protect Juliette and your kid if anything were to ever…happen. But don't think thoughts like that, man. It's depressing."

Nick took another drink as well, before stepping back to lean heavily against the porch railing. He looked up at Monroe with a raised eyebrow. "But it could happen."

"Yea, it could," Monroe agreed with him reluctantly, "but it won't. You're going to be around to raise your kid and be the most annoyingly overprotective dad ever."

Nick wanted more than anything for that to be true, but he wasn't oblivious to the danger that came with being who and what he was. He was well aware that being a Grimm might equal a short life, and he had made his peace with that a long time ago. But at least if some Wesen or the Royals should finally succeed in putting him in the ground, he would know that Juliette and their child would be safe, with his friends to look after them. He was eternally grateful to have Monroe, Rosalee, and Hank in his life.

"Besides," Monroe added then with a resolute nod in his direction, "nothing is going to happen to you. You've got me watching your back. You'll be fine."

Nick smiled ruefully at that, raising his bottle up and tapping it firmly against Monroe's again.

"I hope you're right."

* * *

><p><em>TBC<em>


	3. Part 1-Chapter 2

**A/N:**

**SO sorry for the delay on this one. Life has been, well, life, and my muse wandered away for a while...but hopefully it's back to stay!**

**To everyone who reviewed, followed, etc…thank you. You all deserve your own personal Nick Burkhardt. **

**And shout out to Padria95, Biichi-gi, TheRedPenofDoom87, and Lostinarwop for leaving such wonderful reviews last chap. Sorry for the lack of PMs this time, but hopefully this chapter will make up for it! This is the last fluffy chapter but it's filled with lots of ominous happenings before things really start going downhill next chapter…**

**Two days until Grimm is BACK!**

**~Fictional**

* * *

><p>"How are you feeling today?" Nick asked as he sat down on the couch next to Juliette, carefully handing her a cup of hot tea.<p>

"Nick, I'm fine," Juliette chuckled lightly, accepting the tea gratefully from him and taking a small sip of the steaming liquid. "You don't have to worry."

"Really?" he flashed her a small smile, but it did little to hide his obvious concern. "Because I have to go into work today, and the baby could come at any time. _Any time_, Juliette. How can I not worry?"

Juliette smiled back at her husband, leaning forward across her large stomach and setting the tea on the coffee table, before turning back to him and taking his hands tightly in hers. "And the baby will come when he or she is ready, Nick, you know that. I'm fine, the baby's fine, everything is fine. Don't worry so much."

Nick laughed, pulling one of her hands up to his mouth and kissing the back of it gently. "How can you just be so relaxed about this? I'm such a wreck."

Juliette chuckled again, cocking her head to the side as she looked back at him. "I don't know, I just feel…ready, I guess. Even with all the waiting, I'm just so excited to meet this baby…_our_ baby, that I can't be anything but happy."

Nick nodded, grinning widely at her. "Me too. This…us, our family…I know we didn't exactly _plan_ on this happening right now, but now that it is…I've realized that it's all I've ever really wanted."

Juliette nodded, giving him a warm smile. "I know, me too. After everything we've been through…we deserve this."

They had been through so much over the past few years, ever since Nick had come into his Grimm powers, and then her subsequently learning about and dealing with this side of his life. Even thought they hadn't exactly planned on having a baby right now, knowing what a crazy and sometimes dangerous world they lived in, life had had other plans for them. But now, they couldn't imagine their lives going in any other direction. It was well past time for them to have a little happiness and normalcy.

"Oh!" she sat up suddenly, pulling back from Nick and pressing her hand against the rounded side of her stomach.

"What? What is it?" Nick's voice rose with panic, as he looked at her with wide eyes. "Juliette, are you ok? What's going on?"

"Nothing." She grinned over at him, reaching for his hand again and placing it gently on the side of her stomach. "Just feel."

Nick looked at her in confusion for a minute, until he felt it. A gentle thump, thump beneath his hand. He looked up at Juliette, wonder and awe etched across his face.

"Do you feel that?" Juliette asked, moving his hand a little to the right as the movement steadily continued. "The baby's kicking."

"Yea…that's amazing," Nick finally answered, swallowing thickly past the thump in his throat. Neither of them had yet gotten over the fact that they were going to be parents, any day now.

"It really is," Juliette replied softly, as they both paused, just feeling the life moving between them.

"I love you," Nick said quietly, leaning forward and placing a chaste kiss on her lips, before leaning down and gingerly placing a soft kiss on her rounded stomach. "And I love you, too."

Juliette had to blink back the prick of tears at Nick's words. "Hormones," she muttered to herself. When Nick sat back up, she kissed him again.

"And we love you," she replied, running a hand through his hair. "We'll be waiting right here when you get home."

Nick sighed deeply, leaning into her touch. "I really think I should stay here with you. Renard will understand, I bet Hank would even cover my shift."

"Well, Hank is going to have to cover a lot more of your shifts after the baby gets here," Juliette gently reminded him, "besides, I'm sure Captain Renard needs you. Portland needs you."

Nick smirked at that. "Hey now, don't go making me feel all important or something. Might go to my head."

"I'll bring you back to earth when you have to change diapers at 3 am," Juliette raised her eyebrows playfully at him in response.

"True," Nick kissed her one more time, before reluctantly standing from the couch. "I know I can always count on my wife to keep me grounded, Grimm or not."

"A Grimm who is going to be very late for work if he doesn't go now," Juliette replied with a chuckle, smiling up at him.

"Ah, I know, I know," Nick sighed, as he reluctantly stood and grabbed his phone off the table and pulled on his jacket, carefully holstering his gun. He turned back to her with a concerned look on his face. "Are you sure you'll be ok?"

"I'll be fine, Nick," Juliette reassured him, placing her hands gently on her stomach again. "Both of us."

"Well you know I'm only a phone call away," Nick replied, still hesitating. "Seriously, no matter what's going on, if you call me, I'll come straight home."

As much as they wanted to believe that, they both knew that sometimes there were situations that Nick just couldn't walk away from, mostly where Wesen were involved.

"Even if I do need something, I have Rosalee and Monroe on speed dial," Juliette responded. "So please, Nick, don't worry. Everything will be fine. I promise."

Nick nodded slowly, before leaning down for one last kiss before leaving. "It had better be," he whispered fiercely, touching their foreheads together. "I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened, to either of you."

"Nothing will," Juliette whispered back, gently cupping the side of his face and brushing her thumb across his cheek. "Not when we have you to protect us."

"Always." Nick said resolutely, as he slowly stood up again and began heading for the door. He paused, looking back at her. "See you tonight."

"Ok," Juliette replied quietly, watching him leave. "We'll be here, waiting for you. Be careful."

"Of course," Nick smiled once more over his shoulder at her as he opened the front door.

And then he was gone.

* * *

><p>Once Nick arrived at the precinct, he headed directly for Renard's office, knocking carefully on the door as he entered.<p>

"Hey, can we talk?" he asked quietly as he swung the door open. Renard glanced up from where he was standing at his desk, quickly loading a large stack of papers into his briefcase. He gave Nick a curt nod to enter, and Nick walked into the office and shut the door firmly behind him.

"I don't have much time," Renard replied with an unusual weariness to his tone, turning to the coat rack in the corner of his office and grabbing his coat. "The mayor has called an emergency meeting to discuss budget cuts."

Nick nodded in understanding. "I just wanted to know if you heard anything else about what happened in Vienna."

Renard shook his head, snapping his briefcase shut with a loud snap. "No, not yet. I haven't heard from my contact since the initial phone call. But if anything else develops, I promise you we'll know about it."

"Ok," Nick replied seriously, putting a hand to his chin. "Do you think we have anything to be worried about here?"

Renard looked back up at him, letting out a deep sigh as he picked his briefcase up off the desk and strode across the room towards Nick. "Honestly, I don't know. But I think we should be on our toes. Might not mean anything…but I just don't think that's the case."

"Me either," Nick shook his head, crossing his arms firmly across his chest. "Whether or not that's a message to us, it's definitely not something to ignore."

Renard raised his eyebrows in agreement. "My family wants us out of the way, Nick. And they want that key. We both know that they'll stop at nothing for that to happen."

"Right," Nick sighed deeply, "I know. But they haven't made any moves at us for a while, and with the baby coming, I was just sort of hoping…" he trailed off with a shake of his head. "Guess I should know better."

Renard suppressed a barely visible smirk at that. "Well, we don't know the full story yet, but as soon as we figure out the whole purpose for them eliminating those Grimms like they did, we'll start making some moves of our own."

Nick grinned sardonically at this. "Sound like a plan."

Renard glanced down at his watch, sighing as he noted the time. "I'm sorry Nick, but I have to go. We'll talk as soon as I hear anything from Vienna. But in the meantime, let's keep this to ourselves. No need to get everyone else worked up if this turns out to be unrelated to us."

Nick nodded at this. "My thoughts exactly. With the baby and everything, I don't want to stress Juliette or the others out yet. Not until we know more."

"Exactly," Renard agreed, walking to his door and swinging it open. He turned to look back at Nick as they walked out of his office.

"Let's just hope that it's nothing to worry about."

* * *

><p>"Today's been quiet," Hank mused later that afternoon, swiveling around in his desk chair to look over at Nick. "A little too quiet."<p>

Nick smiled ruefully, glancing over from his last stack of paperwork to look at his partner. "I was thinking the exact same thing. It's been really quiet lately…on both fronts."

Hank leaned in closer so the other officers in the precinct wouldn't overhear their conversation. "Yea, you haven't had a wesen case in how long now?"

Nick cleared his throat. "Three months. I'm not sure if I should be happy about that…or worried."

He decided against mentioning his conversation with Renard and the recent events in Vienna. Renard was right, it might not be worth mentioning yet, and he didn't want to unnecessarily worry anyone else. Renard still didn't have any further details on the impending moves by his family, although he reassured Nick that he had allies in Europe who would be sure to alert them if they learned anything more. Now all Nick could do was wait.

All it felt like he did anymore was _wait_.

Hank leaned back in his chair. "Nah man, maybe it's a good thing. You and the Captain have done a good job changing the way things run around here. Maybe that's it."

Nick snorted, shaking his head slightly, pushing the thoughts of the executed Grimms to the back of his mind. "I want to believe that, but I know from experience…it's never that easy."

Just then, his phone buzzed, lighting up with a text message on the screen. He turned away from Hank, smiling slightly when he saw it was Juliette just writing back to let him know that she and the baby were fine, for no less than the third time that afternoon. Ok, so maybe he was a little overprotective…

Hank could easily read the expression on his face. "How's Juliette?" he smiled at his partner.

Nick looked up at him, placing his phone back on the desk. "That obvious, huh?"

"Painfully so," Hank chuckled at him, giving him a knowing look.

"She's good, so is the baby," Nick responded, a broad smile crossing his face. "The baby could come any time now, and she's just so calm about the whole thing."

"But you're not," Hank raised his eyebrows at him.

Nick smiled ruefully, shaking his head with a laugh. "I'm a mess."

Hank leaned over, patting him on the shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry so much, Nick. Everything will be fine. You guys are gonna be great parents."

Nick smiled gratefully at his partner. "Thanks man. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole thing, that I am actually going to be someone's dad. It's unreal."

Hank nodded at him, dropping his voice lower again. "Do you ever wonder…if your kid will be like…you?"

Nick paused, knowing exactly what Hank meant. It was something that he wondered all the time…if his child would inherit the same Grimm abilities that he had. It was a likely possibility, but one they wouldn't likely know until he or she was older.

"Ever since Juliette told me she was pregnant, I have wondered that a lot," he replied, regarding his partner seriously. "Part of me hopes that they won't inherit my family…gift, and the other kind of hopes that they do."

"So you can have someone to relate to on this stuff," Hank added.

"Well, yea, sort of," Nick continued, "but also, I can be there to help them through it, which is something I never had."

Hank grunted, shaking his head. "No, you didn't. You had to learn it the hard way."

Nick shrugged. "Hey, I still turned out ok."

"That's debatable," Sergeant Wu interrupted suddenly, coming closer to them with a file in his hand. Both detectives immediately straightened up, looking at the file he placed on their desk.

"Hope you guys weren't hoping for a boring night," Wu's sarcasm wasn't lost on them, "but we've got a doozy out in Forest Grove. They're requesting assistance from Portland's finest, which apparently is you two."

"Eight bodies?" Hank raised his eyebrows as he studied the file, looking carefully at Nick as he passed it over. "We talking serial killer here?"

"Possibly," Wu shrugged, "but no confirmation yet. Victims appear to have been killed within days of each other, all in various ways, but that wasn't the strangest part."

Nick and Hank locked eyes briefly before Nick turned to Wu. "What did they find?"

"The bodies were all arranged in some strange pattern," Wu continued, crossing his arms over his chest. "Forensics hasn't a clue yet what it means. Maybe a cult ritual?"

"Any photos?" Nick asked, looking through the file and not finding any. He swallowed, trying to push down the feeling of dread that was slowly rising from the pit of his stomach. He had a sinking feeling that this wasn't going to be a just a regular Wesen case, but something bigger.

"None here yet," Wu said. "Some hikers just discovered the site about an hour ago, and the report just came in. I left the Captain a message but he's stuck in that God-awful meeting with the mayor all day."

Nick frowned at that. He had really been hoping to touch base with Renard again before he left, but he knew that Renard would just call him if he learned anymore news from overseas.

"Well gentlemen," Wu continued, "The crime scene is ready and waiting for your expertise." With that, he dramatically bowed to them before walking away.

"So much for a quiet night," Hank grumbled, reaching for his jacket.

Nick nodded. "Yea, something tells me this isn't just some typical cult crime."

Hank grunted in response. "Where you're concerned, they never are."

Nick smiled grimly at him. "Alright, let's go. I just need to make a quick stop on the way first."

* * *

><p>"Hmm, what are you making?" Monroe asked as he entered the back room of the spice shop, carrying some ingredients in his arms that Rosalee had asked him to pick up.<p>

She turned back from the kettle she was slowly stirring on the counter to smile at him as he laid a peck on her cheek. "Just some more of that tea for Juliette. It's really been helping her feel relaxed."

Monroe nodded, setting the ingredients on the counter before turning to look at her again. "Do you think maybe you could make some for Nick too? I think he needs it more than she does."

Rosalee chuckled, shaking her head as she turned back to the tea. "He's just nervous, Monroe. Give him a break. You would be too."

He smiled at her, wrapping his arms around her from behind and pulling her tightly against him. "You're damn straight I would. I wouldn't let you out of my sight."

Although they had been married a little bit longer than Nick and Juliette, they just hadn't felt that it was the right time for them to start a family…especially with the initial opposition from their respective sides of the family and now from members of the Wesen community.

"Well, one day soon, I hope I get to find out," Rosalee smiled, turning around in his arms to face him and kissing him gently. Monroe moved to deepen the kiss…when they were suddenly interrupted by the chime of the front door of the shop.

"Rosalee? You here?" they heard a familiar voice call out, and Monroe groaned, slowly pulling out of Rosalee's embrace.

"Back here!" she called in response, moving towards the front room as Monroe followed her out.

Nick and Hank stood waiting at the counter, and she smiled broadly when she saw them.

"Hey papa," she greeted Nick, giving him a warm hug before giving one to Hank. "How you holding up?"

"Me? Great," Nick said a little too enthusiastically. He didn't miss the skeptical way that Monroe and Rosalee looked at him, and he sighed. "Ok. I'm a little nervous."

"A little?" Monroe smirked, patting him gently on the shoulder. "Man, have you seen yourself lately?"

Nick laughed as he put up his hands in protest. "Yea, I know. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited and everything, just…"

"Just scared senseless," Monroe gave him a knowing look. Hank grunted in agreement.

"Absolutely," Nick agreed. "I just don't want anything to go wrong, I want Juliette and the baby to be safe, I don't want my complicated life to affect them…"

"Hey," Rosalee interrupted, squeezing one of his hands gently. "Everything is going to be fine, Nick. Juliette and the baby are both perfectly healthy, and she wouldn't have married you if she wasn't prepared to handle your life. Your child will be lucky to have you as their father."

Nick paused, blinking furiously at her words. He nodded then, smiling at Rosalee. "Thanks. You guys are right, everything's going to be fine."

"Of course it will," Monroe replied reassuringly. "And we're prepared to spoil your kid rotten, I hope you know that."

Nick chuckled at that as he glanced at Monroe. "After what you guys have already done, I expected nothing less."

"And I expect Renard will have our asses if we don't get out to Forest Grove soon," Hank cut in then, hands on his hips.

"Yea, yea, sorry," Nick sighed, turning back to Monroe and Rosalee.

"Forest Grove?" Monroe asked, furrowing his brows. "What's taking you guys way out there?"

"Murder investigation," Hank replied. "From the sounds of it, we're gonna be up there for a while."

"That's actually why I'm here," Nick said, looking at them earnestly. "I'm not going to be back until really late tonight, and I was wondering…"

"If we could check on Juliette," Rosalee smiled warmly. "Of course. I was already planning to drop off some more tea for her later."

"Really? That'd be great," Nick looked relieved. The thought of leaving Juliette alone for most of the night had clearly been worrying him, but he looked as though a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders at Rosalee's words.

"Yea man, not a problem," Monroe nodded. "Although, I have to say, she seems to be handling this whole baby business a lot better than you."

"Understatement," Hank chuckled under his breath.

Nick shrugged helplessly at them with a wry smile. "I'm not arguing with you there."

"Alright man, we better hit the road," Hank encouraged, glancing at his watch again.

"Yea, I know," Nick sighed. He waved at Monroe and Rosalee as they headed for the door. "Thanks again you guys."

"Our pleasure," Rosalee waved back, as Monroe came to put his arm around her shoulder.

"Don't worry about a thing, man," Monroe called after him. "We've got this."

Nick smiled gratefully at them again before he turned and followed Hank out of the shop.

Rosalee laughed quietly, leaning her head into Monroe's shoulder. "I can't wait to see them with their baby. It's going to be adorable."

Monroe snorted. "That, and Nick is _definitely_ going to need some of that tea."

* * *

><p><em>TBC <em>


	4. Part 1-Chapter 3

**A/N:**

** Thank you to everyone who reviewed/followed/faved. It means the world!**

** Warnings: Blood and violence, minor character death/s (not who you think), and a cliffhanger up ahead!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Yet.**

* * *

><p>"We've got to be getting close," Hank muttered to Nick as he wound through the deep woods of the state park in Forest Grove towards the crime scene.<p>

"Yea, GPS says we're only 0.4 miles away," Nick responded as he squinted at the navigation system on his phone.

"Are you thinking that this is just a little more than our average serial killer case?" Hank threw him a knowing glance as he steered around another bend on the winding dirt road, narrowly missing another pothole.

Nick glanced back at him with a deep sigh. "Yea. I have a feeling this isn't entirely human-related."

"I know," Hank sighed, turning to focus back on the road, "just wishful thinking that it wasn't."

Nick scoffed in response, turning back to his GPS. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he had a definite feeling that what they were about to see wasn't caused by humans, and he had learned over the years not to ignore his innate Grimm instincts. More often than not, they were right.

A few minutes later, they finally reached the crime scene, made quite obvious by the yards of yellow tape stretched between various trees before them, and the flashing lights of the local police and the forest ranger vehicles parked along the edge. Nick and Hank got out of their police cruiser and went over to talk to the local officers.

"Hi, I'm Detective Burkhardt, and this is my partner Detective Griffin, from the Portland PD," Nick stuck out his hand to the lead officer on the scene, who readily accepted and shook it firmly.

"Officer Spencer," the older officer replied, looking at them both grimly. "Thanks for coming out. I've heard that you're Portland's best, and I think we might need you on this one." He looked meaningfully at Nick.

His reputation for solving cases was starting to precede him, and Nick made a mental note that it could possibly be a bad thing, drawing too much unwanted attention to him and Renard.

"Well, we're happy to help," Hank responded simply, and they followed behind Officer Spencer as he led them in the direction of the crime scene.

"Maybe you guys can make sense of this, because we sure can't," Spencer shook his head. "We've never seen anything like this before. Things like this just don't happen out here."

"Any I.D. on the victims yet?" Nick asked as they ducked underneath the yellow tape just off the main hiking trail. The killer hadn't tried very hard to hide the bodies, with the crime scene so close to a heavily traveled nature area.

Officer Spencer looked back at them with another shake of his head. "None yet. But so far, it doesn't seem like any of them were from here. Maybe closer to Portland."

"We'll cross-reference with the missing persons database," Hank mused as they came around a cluster of trees where the bodies were.

Nick and Hank froze in surprise at the eight bodies arranged on the ground in the middle of the woods near the hiking trail. It was more shocking in person than they had expected, even for seasoned detectives like them.

"So, any idea what this pattern means?" Officer Spencer gestured at the bodies after a long moment.

Nick blinked, staring hard at the gruesome scene, and he realized with a sinking feeling of dread that he knew _exactly_ what the pattern meant.

It was the double diamond symbol of the Verrat, but instead of the usual sword tattoos on the palm of an agent's hand, it was now perfectly laid out with the bodies of eight unwitting victims on the ground.

He stepped closer, and Hank and Spencer stopped talking, watching carefully as Nick moved closer to the scene, acting as if they weren't even there.

"Nick?" Hank tried hesitantly, but Nick didn't even hear him over the blood now rushing to his ears.

He knew some of the victims.

One was Robin, the abused Seltenvogel he had helped so long ago. There was Barry Rabe, the troubled young teen Jagerbar who he had helped get off on a lighter sentence. And there was Arnold, the Eisbiber friend of Bud's who he had aided against the Hasslich. The rest he didn't recognize but he was sure of one thing: they were all Wesen.

All Wesen. All senselessly murdered. All slaughtered like animals as a message to him from the Verrat.

His fears were confirmed when his gaze finally settled on the tree directly next to the bodies, now clearly marked in blood with an unmistakable Reaper symbol.

Just then, the shrill ringing of Nick's cell phone cut through the silence as he continued to stare at the ominous scene before him, but he barely heard it.

"Nick?" Hank asked cautiously again, stepping closer to his partner with concern, and laying a hand carefully on his shoulder.

Nick jumped with a start at the contact, still too lost in his own thoughts, nearly pulling Hank into a chokehold in pure instinct before he got his bearings again.

"Whoa, Nick, it's me," Hank furrowed his brows at his reaction, throwing up his hands in a placating gesture. "It's ok." He paused as Nick tried to regain his self control, before adding, "do you know what this means?"

Nick nodded slowly, staring numbly back at his partner, before it finally registered that his phone was still ringing. Without a word to Hank and Officer Spencer, who were both still staring at him in surprise and confusion, he clumsily fished his phone out of his pocket and checked the caller I.D.

Renard.

"H-hello?" Nick somehow managed to find his voice again as he put the phone up to his ear.

_"Nick, listen to me. I just heard from my contact about those Grimms the Royals had killed in Vienna,"_ Renard's voice had an uncharacteristic tone of urgency and concern to it. _"Those Grimms had the other missing key."_

Nick's blood ran cold at those words, and he already knew what Renard was going to say next, as the Captain quickly continued.

_"They're here for the keys_," Renard warned him seriously. _"I don't know how, but they know you have two, the last two, and the Verrat are already in Portland. They're coming for you, Nick."_

Without saying anything in response to Renard, Nick abruptly hung up as this information sunk in, his heart skipping a beat. He looked up to meet Hank and Officer Spencer's questioning gazes with a look of pure dread.

In rising panic, he quickly realized the dire mistake he had made in coming out to Forest Grove to investigate the case. That was _exactly_ what the Verrat had wanted him to do, to get him far away from home so they could deliver their final message, to show him how truly serious they were about getting his key, _both_ keys, now that they had found the last missing one. He had no idea how they had learned about the one he had inherited from Rolek Porter, but they had already known without a doubt about the one he had inherited from Aunt Marie.

Now they were coming for both.

Without another word to Hank or Officer Spencer, Nick took off in a dead run towards the car, ignoring Hank's cries after him as he sprinted through the woods, his heart pounding in fear with the knowledge that the Verrat would stop at nothing to get his attention this time.

_Juliette_.

* * *

><p>"Hey guys," Juliette greeted warmly as she swung the front door open to let Monroe and Rosalee in. "It's so nice of you to stop by."<p>

"I thought you could use some more of that tea," Rosalee smiled as she stepped in, Monroe following behind her.

"Yea, that tea is great," Juliette laughed as she slowly led them into the living room. She winced as she lowered herself onto the couch, Monroe and Rosalee taking seats across from her. "Thanks so much for bringing it over."

"Well, that's not the only reason we came by," Monroe raised an eyebrow at her, and Juliette let out a long sigh, although a tired smile was still plastered on her face.

"Nick wanted you to check up on me."

"Yea, he did," Rosalee chuckled, "but we wanted to check on you too, make sure that you didn't need anything."

Juliette smiled gratefully at her friends as she tried to adjust herself on the couch again, unable to get comfortable. Her lower back was really aching today, and she found herself getting _really_ tired of being pregnant at the moment. "I'm fine, really. Just trying not to get impatient."

"Yea, you're almost five days overdue now, right?" Monroe asked, looking back and forth between Juliette and Rosalee. "And I don't think Nick's handling that very well."

"He's not," Juliette smirked, shaking her head, "but if the baby doesn't come on its own by Tuesday, then the doctor will probably induce me."

"I bet you'll go before then," Rosalee reassured her with a warm smile. "I just have a feeling the baby is going to be here _really_ soon."

Monroe looked slightly panicked at that statement. "Really? Like _how_ soon exactly are we talking?"

Juliette laughed as Rosalee shook her head, patting his knee in reassurance. "Relax, Monroe. You're starting to sound like Nick." She turned back to Juliette. "Even if the baby was on its way tonight, most labors for first babies are long. Nick would still get here in plenty of time."

"Yea, I'm not too worried," Juliette smiled at her, "but I'm afraid if that actually happened and I called to tell him that, he would crash trying to get back here."

Monroe snorted at that. "He definitely would."

Rosalee nudged him with her elbow, trying unsuccessfully to suppress a laugh.

"He's right though," Juliette chuckled in agreement. "I finally turned my phone on silent a couple hours ago after his hundredth text to check on me, just so I could get some rest."

"Oh, I'm going to give him so much grief for that one," Monroe shook his head with a laugh.

"I think it's sweet," Rosalee gently admonished. "But anyways," she looked at Juliette then, "do you need anything? Is there anything we can stop and get for you?"

"No, no, I'm fine," Juliette reassured them with a grateful smile. "Thank so much for the tea, that's exactly what I needed actually."

"Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself until Nick gets home?" Monroe asked, looking at her carefully. "Because, you know, if you needed us to stay…we could, I mean, if you wanted us to. It wouldn't be a problem."

Juliette smiled warmly at him, so grateful to have such wonderful friends in her and Nick's lives. "Monroe, that's a wonderful offer, but I'm ok. I'll probably be going to bed soon anyways. I'm exhausted."

"Well, you know we're just a phone call away if you need anything," Rosalee said as she and Monroe stood up. Monroe quickly moved to Juliette's side to help her off the couch, and she couldn't help but compare his actions to Nick's. She had no doubt he would be just as overprotective if it were him and Rosalee having a baby instead, and she couldn't wait to point that fact out when they had children of their own.

"Thanks guys, but I'll be ok alone, and I promise I'll call you if I need anything," she reassured them again. "So thank you for the tea, but you don't need to stay."

"Ok," Rosalee hugged her tightly as they headed towards the front door. "We'll have our phones by us at all times tonight though, just in case."

"We can be here in 8 minutes and 17 seconds flat if you need us," Monroe added as he hugged Juliette as well. He shrugged when he saw the look they both gave him. "What? I timed it in the beetle. It's exact."

"Well, that makes me feel better," Juliette grinned at him. "I think I can make it 8 minutes if I need you."

"Ok, ok, we can take a hint," Rosalee chuckled at her. "We're being ridiculous, and now we're leaving."

"I don't mind you being ridiculous," Juliette smiled at them. "You will be the best aunt and uncle our child could ever ask for."

Rosalee and Monroe glanced at each other before smiling back at Juliette.

"You can count on it," Monroe smiled at her.

After one more hug goodbye each, Monroe and Rosalee finally left. Juliette securely locked the door and wandered back over to the couch, sinking down on it in pure exhaustion. She was debating going to bed now, even though it was still sort of early, but her back was throbbing and she was completely wiped out. She glanced absently at her phone sitting on the side table, and decided she had better turn it back on, before Nick worried himself sick.

With a long sigh, she stretched over and grabbed it, opening up the screen to see several missed calls from Nick. Juliette furrowed her brow in concern as she went to call him back.

What was so urgent?

* * *

><p>There was little Hank could do to comfort his partner, so he sat in the passenger's seat in silence as Nick floored the gas, lights flashing and siren blaring. Hank subconsciously grabbed the door handle as Nick flew around another corner, narrowly missing a suburban turning left.<p>

"Nick, we'll get her," Hank tried lamely to reassure him, but hesitated when he saw the way Nick was tightly clenching his jaw, his knuckles were turning white from his death grip on the steering wheel.

"We have to," Nick said quietly, a note of both determination and desperation in his voice. "I can't," he paused, sucking in a deep breath, "I can't lose her…"

"You won't," Hank added firmly, wishing with all of his heart that that would be the truth. If anything happened to Juliette and the baby, especially because of Nick being a Grimm, Hank was sure that he would never recover. "If those bastards even think about touching her, they won't get away with it."

Nick nodded stiffly as he sped through another red light, narrowly avoiding the cars that hadn't paid attention to the flying police car. His voice was low and deadly when he finally responded.

"No. They won't."

With that, he picked up his cell phone once again and redialed Juliette's number, desperately hoping she would answer.

* * *

><p>"What should we do for dinner?" Rosalee asked from the passenger's seat as Monroe turned the beetle around the corner towards their house.<p>

"I was thinking maybe some roasted asparagus and vegan salmon?" he suggested, smiling over at her as they stopped at a red light.

Rosalee looked up for a moment, as if she was trying to decide if that was an acceptable choice. "Ok, yea, that sounds good."

"Awesome, because there's a new recipe I've been wanting to try…" Monroe started to say, when the loud ringing of his phone startled them both.

With a sigh, he picked up his phone from the center console just as the light turned green, already knowing who it would be.

"Hey Nick," he greeted as he hit the answer button, "don't worry, we just checked on Juliette…"

_"Monroe,"_ Nick cut him off, and Monroe stiffened in the driver's seat at the clearly panicked tone to Nick's voice. _"I need you to get to the house, right now! The Verrat are here, and they're going after Juliette!"_

"What?" Monroe froze in shock, glancing over to see Rosalee's panicked gaze as she no doubt could hear everything Nick was saying too. "Dude, are you serious? We were just there!"

_"Please Monroe, you have to get back there and help her,"_ there was a pleading, desperate quality to Nick's tone that Monroe had never heard before, and it made him shudder. Without a moment's hesitation, he swung the beetle around in a u-turn and hit the gas as he sped back towards their house. _"I'm still 20 minutes out. Please!"_

"Ok, ok, we're on our way, man," Monroe tried to gently reassure him, but he knew that would do little good for the panicked Grimm. "I'll get there as fast as I can."

_"Hurry Monroe, just… please hurry…"_ Monroe knew that Nick was desperately trying to keep his composure, and failing miserably. Monroe felt his fangs protruding as he thought about the Verrat trying to hurt his friends.

"I promise Nick, if the Verrat are there, they'll have to go through us before they hurt Juliette," Monroe said firmly, glancing over at Rosalee again as she squeezed his arm in fear, her eyes wide. He cleared his throat, flying around the corner and speeding down Nick's street at break-neck speed.

* * *

><p>Juliette frowned as she looked at her phone, wondering why Nick was <em>this<em> worried about her while he was investigating the case in Forest Grove he had texted her about earlier. Just then, the screen lit up again, Nick's number flashing across it.

"Hey," she answered, leaning back into the couch cushions, "what's going…"

_"Where are you?"_ Nick cut her off, but the panic in his voice set her slightly on edge. She sat up a little straighter on the couch.

"I'm at home, why?" she questioned, her brows furrowed deeply.

_"Get out of the house, right now,"_ Nick told her urgently, and Juliette paused at this.

"Nick, what are you talking about?" she asked in confusion.

_"No time to explain, just get out of there now, and go to Monroe's,"_ he shot back, the panic in his voice even clearer now. _"Right now Juliette!"_

"Nick, what's going on?" Juliette asked again, looking around absently for her purse as she tried to figure out why he was reacting so unreasonably.

_"Just trust me on this,"_ he replied quickly, and Juliette sighed at his lack of explanation.

"Ok, but you're being ridiculous," she sighed in mild irritation as she pulled herself up off the couch with a long groan.

_"Juliette, you're in danger, and I won't get there in time,"_ Nick was nearly pleading with her now through the phone. _"You have to believe me, you need to get out of there now!"_

Juliette froze as she grabbed her purse, fumbling for her keys. "Danger?"

_"The Verrat,"_ Nick explained breathlessly. _"They're here, and they're coming for you."_

"The Verrat?" her heart skipped a beat in fear. "Are you serious?"

_"Juliette, please, just get out of the house,"_ he told her again. _"You need to get somewhere safe until I get back."_

"Ok, ok, I'm going right now, promise," Juliette reassured him quickly as a wave of fear washed over her, still digging for her keys. On second thought, she moved to the safe in the living room and quickly unlocked it to grab the handgun that Nick had bought for her.

_"Juliette? Are you there?"_ Nick's anxious voice came back through the phone then.

"Yea, sorry, I'm still here," she replied hastily to calm him. "I'm leaving now."

_"Ok,"_ he replied, sounding breathless, _"ok. Hurry."_

"I am, I'm walking out the door," Juliette replied quickly. She hoisted her purse up on her shoulder and swung open the front door.

Six Verrat agents in full woge were waiting there for her on the front porch, their sharp Hundjager fangs shining brightly in the moonlight.

"Nick!" Juliette screamed as she dropped the phone, effectively bringing her gun up and shooting one agent before the rest descended on her. But it wasn't a fair fight, and they quickly over took her, surrounding her in a frenzy and throwing her to the ground with tremendous force as the gun was wrenched from her hands. She hunched protectively over her stomach, desperately trying to shield the baby as they attacked. A black boot suddenly met her temple with a swift kick, and stars exploded before her eyes from the blow.

Before she lost consciousness, the last thing she heard was Nick's frantic yells for her through the phone, echoing up from where it had landed next to her on the floor.

_ "Juliette!"_

* * *

><p><em>TBC<em>


	5. Part 1-Chapter 4

**A/N: **

**Your continued feedback is inspiration to finish this thing. Keep it comin'! **

**So, I've never been to Portland and I don't pretend to know the geography beyond what Google Maps and Wikipedia has to offer, so I took a little creative license with that. **

**Also, to keep the suspense of this story going, I'm not really going to give any more "warnings" for what's coming up. Just know there's lots of cliffhangers and ANGST in this story, so if that's not your thing, I'd turn this car around right now!**

**Enjoy!**

**Fictional**

* * *

><p>When Monroe and Rosalee finally made it back to the house, they cautiously leapt out of the car. Monroe paused to scent the air deeply, before turning to look over at her.<p>

"Hundjager, six of them."

Rosalee nodded in agreement as she also took a deep breath, before giving him panicked look. "So what are we supposed to do? Take on six Verrat by ourselves?"

Monroe shrugged helplessly at that. He hadn't really worried about the logistics when Nick had called him, but now he realized that this might be a death wish if they tried to take on six agents on their own. But regardless, he couldn't let them hurt Juliette, or Rosalee, for that matter.

He turned back to her with a serious look. "Wait in the car. This is too dangerous."

"No," Rosalee shook her head firmly, crossing her arms, "no way Monroe. I won't let you take on six Verrat agents by yourself, are you crazy?"

Monroe smiled grimly. "Probably. Ok, then what's the plan?"

"I guess I'll go around back and you surprise them in the front," Rosalee suggested, "and maybe we can distract them long enough until Nick and Hank get here." Monroe nodded hesitantly at that. It was as good a plan as any.

"You sure?" he asked again, looking at her carefully.

"I'm sure," Rosalee nodded. "We have to keep them from hurting Juliette."

"Yea," Monroe let out a long sigh at that. "Ok. Let's do this. But be careful!"

Rosalee nodded as she crept stealthily in fox life fashion along the back of the house and over the wooden fence into Nick and Juliette's back yard, disappearing from Monroe's sight.

"Well, here goes nothing," he muttered to himself, taking a deep breath and charging towards the front door in full Blutbad form.

"Listen here, you dirty…" Monroe growled as he burst through the still ajar front door, before pausing in confusion at the scene before him.

No one was there.

He glanced quickly around the living room as he shifted back to human, his heart sinking as he saw the obvious signs of a struggle and the blood stains on the floor, with Juliette's cell phone and gun still lying carelessly where they had fallen.

They were too late. The Verrat had taken Juliette.

"Monroe?" Rosalee asked cautiously then as she came in from the kitchen, eyes widening as she took in the scene before them in the living room. Tears sprung to her eyes as she saw Juliette's cell phone next to a pool of blood, and she put a shaking hand up to her mouth. "Oh, no."

Monroe frowned at her, before kneeling down and taking a deep breath, feeling slightly relieved once he recognized the scent. "The blood isn't hers. It's one of the agent's."

"That a girl," Rosalee smiled grimly, her fangs protruding slightly. Monroe nodded proudly at her in agreement. "She didn't go down without a fight."

She frowned then as she looked at Monroe, blinking back more tears. "Do you think they…" she trailed off, shaking her head.

He stood up, letting out a deep sigh as he moved closer to her and pulled her into his arms. "I don't know. I'm hoping that they are just holding her hostage in order to get leverage on Nick, but I just don't know."

"Oh God," Rosalee shakily wiped away a tear that escaped, rolling down her cheek. "If Juliette and the baby don't survive this…."

"I know," Monroe shook his head miserably. "Then Nick won't either."

Just then, they heard a car door slam, and someone calling Juliette's name. A moment later, Nick came sprinting frantically up the front steps with Hank close on his heels. He paused as he entered the house, eyes widening as he took in the blood and the signs of a fight, before looking back up in a mixture of pain and anger at Monroe and Rosalee.

Monroe looked sadly at him as he came closer, putting a hand on Nick's shoulder as he tried to break the news as gently as he could.

"I'm so sorry, man, but we didn't make it in time. They have Juliette."

* * *

><p>Nick just stared uncomprehendingly at his friends as this information slowly sunk in, and for a moment he forgot to breathe as the ground was pulled out from under him.<p>

The Verrat had Juliette, and now he might lose both her and the baby, all because of who he was.

It was his biggest fear realized, the thing he had worried about the most since the moment Juliette had told him they were going to be parents and their lives had irrevocably changed, the thing he knew could happen but he had pushed to the back of his mind in sweet denial, because a part of him still held on to the foolish hope that he and Juliette could have a somewhat _normal_ life.

He found his voice again and let out a yell of pure agony and frustration, his whole body beginning to shake uncontrollably. Needing a sudden outlet for the fear and anger crashing over him, Nick wheeled around and began repeatedly punching the dry wall next to the door with unbridled fury, not even noticing or caring when his knuckles became bruised and bloody. It was as if he was being pulled down a deep, dark tunnel, and he was barely aware of his friends still being there as a loud roaring echoed in his ears. He punched the wall harder and harder, trying to numb the pain, letting out pained grunts as his fist made contact again and again.

"Nick, stop!" Hank tried futilely, but Nick only threw him off angrily when he grabbed his shoulder.

"Damn it Nick, calm down!" he was vaguely aware of Monroe's voice next to him now, and he was unable to do anything but relent when Hank and Monroe both physically forced him away from the hole he had now left in the wall.

"Nick, you with us?" Hank was looking at him worriedly now, trying to pull him back to the present. Nick just pushed him away, breathing heavily as he looked miserably back at his friends.

"Dude, I know you are freaking out right now, and I totally get that, but you have to calm down so we can think of a way to rescue Juliette," Monroe tried to placate him, grasping his shoulders firmly and gently shaking him to bring him back to reality. Nick pushed him away as well, sucking in deep breaths as he tried to regain his self-control.

"If they haven't already…" Nick shook his head with a choked sob, unable to finish. He couldn't face the reality, could barely breathe at the thought that Juliette and the baby might be…

"Nick," Rosalee said soothingly stepped forwards and cupped his face, forcing him to look up at her. "We can't give up hope yet. If the Verrat just wanted her dead as a message to you, they would have left a more," she hesitated uncertainly as she searched for the words, "gruesome scene for you to come home to."

"Yea man," Monroe chimed in, "for one, the blood isn't hers. It's definitely one of the agents. She might not even be hurt."

"Exactly," Hank added, squeezing his shoulder gently. "We have to believe that Juliette and the baby are still alive, and that the Verrat are trying to get your attention."

"Well, they've definitely done that," Nick growled in response, unconsciously clenching and unclenching his fists, unmindful of the blood now dripping from the torn knuckles on his right one. His voice was low and dangerous when he spoke again.

"Now it's my turn to get theirs."

Nick had never wanted blood so badly, and he could feel the deep, dark history of his ancestors running through his veins. He had never wanted to be an indiscriminate killer of Wesen, but at the moment, he was ready to murder every last Hundjager and Royal in sight.

"Nick!" another voice called out suddenly from the still open door, and Renard came bounding up the steps a moment later, pausing when he took in the scene before him. He turned to look over at Nick, his jaw clenching as he quickly realized what had happened.

"They have Juliette."

Nick nodded slowly, his eyes flashing murderously at the thought. "They took her as a way to get to me."

"How many were there?" Renard asked quickly as his eyes scanned the room, trying to judge how many agents there had been.

"At least six," Monroe quickly volunteered as he stepped forwards. "There were at least six Hundjager here at the house."

"You sure?" Renard asked with a raised eyebrow.

Monroe lightly tapped the side of his nose. "Positive."

"I doubt they are the only ones here in Portland," Renard told the group seriously. "If they're here for the keys, then the Royals sent their best. Those six were likely just the ones sent to get Juliette."

"If anything happens to her or the baby…" Nick replied through gritted teeth, his whole body tensing.

"They're going to use her as a bartering chip, for the keys," Renard responded, kneeling down to examine the blood stains on the floor and the discarded gun and phone. "I don't know when they'll make their play, but they'll make it soon. We have to be ready."

"So what, if Nick just hands over the keys, then we'll get Juliette back?" Monroe asked skeptically, although they all already knew the answer.

Renard shook his head at that, rising back up to his full height. "No. It won't be that simple. It never is with the Verrat, or the Royals. Whatever they do, it will be some kind of trap."

"I don't care," Nick interrupted, stepping into the center of the group. "I don't care what it takes, but I'll do whatever I have to do to get Juliette and the baby back."

"Nick," Rosalee frowned, "He's right. You could be walking right into a trap."

"More like a death trap," Monroe muttered under his breath.

"We have to be smart about this," Hank quickly added. "Who knows what they have waiting for you."

"Like I said," Nick replied steadily, "if that's what it takes, then so be it."

"Nick," Renard put a hand to his chin as he regarded him seriously, "you can't just hand over the keys. If the Royals get their hands on those keys, and complete the map, then the world as we know it could come to an end. We don't know what's at the other end of that map."

Deep down, Nick knew he was right, as much as he didn't want to admit it. The free world could basically end if the Royals got their hands on whatever was buried and hidden away by his ancestors so long ago, but Nick also knew that there was nothing in the world that would stop him from getting to Juliette.

He blinked furiously, clenching his jaw tightly as he fought back tears of anger. "Well, nothing is stopping me from getting Juliette back, so what do you propose instead?"

Just then, Nick's phone rang again, and he quickly pulled it out of his pocket and frowned, eyes widening slightly when he saw the number.

"It's blocked," he gestured by way of explanation at his phone, looking back up at the others.

"It's probably the Verrat, setting up an exchange for Juliette and the keys," Renard quickly told him. "Just let them think you're playing along, and we'll set up a plan."

Nick nodded at that, and the others gathered anxiously around him to listen as he put the call on speaker. Nick took a deep breath, trying to steady himself as best he could.

"Burkhardt."

"_Well, Nicholas Burkhardt,"_ a deeply accented voice came over the phone, _"I hope you enjoyed your drive out to Forest Grove." _

Nick was barely able to contain the growl from his throat at those words. "Where is my wife?"

"_Oh, don't worry, Grimm,"_ a snarl was evident in the Verrat agent's tone, "_we're keeping her quite comfortable. And might I add, congratulations. It seems as though the next generation of Grimms is coming VERY soon." _

"If you so much as touch her," Nick snapped, his knuckles turning white from his grip on the phone, "I swear to God I will kill every last one of you."

"_Now, now, no need for such idle threats,"_ the agent chuckled through the phone, clearly amused in his torturing of Nick_. "It's really all very simple: We have something you want, you have something we want. Even trade."_

"Right," Nick scoffed angrily, as Renard raised an eyebrow at him. They both knew it would be much more complicated than that. "Where?"

"_The McCallister Lodge,"_ the agent replied smoothly, and Nick instantly recognized the name. McCallister Lodge was an abandoned hunting preserve and outfitter deep in the woods outside of Portland that had gone out of business years ago. It had several outlaying buildings, consisting of guest cabins, the main lodge, and an armory, and one had to cross a one-lane bridge over the upper rapids of the Willamette River in order to reach it, creating limited access and a controlled entrance.

The perfect place for a trap.

"_And I don't think I need to tell you,"_ the agent continued, _"bring the keys. And come alone. If you do that, then no harm will befall your lovely pregnant wife, I promise."_

Lie.

"If you value your head, it had better not," Nick replied angrily, taking a deep breath to try and regain his composure. "I'm on my way."

"_Good. Don't keep us waiting,"_ the agent replied smugly as he hung up.

Nick's hands were shaking as he hit the button on his phone, looking up at the surprised faces of Monroe, Rosalee, and Hank, and the equally angry expression on Renard's face.

"Now what?" he turned to Renard. "We need a plan."

"Definitely," Monroe added uneasily, "because, dude, going to the old McCallister Lodge is a complete trap. They could ambush you anywhere up there."

"I know," Nick shot back in a mix of frustration and fear. "But we have to get Juliette back, and we're just wasting time!"

"Nick, we're going to get her back," Rosalee tried to reassure him gently, but he just shrugged her off, unable to calm his overwrought nerves.

"Well, you're not going there alone," Hank told him firmly. "There's no way they'd just let you walk out of there alive."

"We just have to make it seem like he's alone, or at least that he's not a viable threat to them," Renard said then, looking seriously at all of them. "We make it look as though he's going to willingly give them the keys, while we buy ourselves enough time to rescue Juliette."

"And how are we going to do that?" Monroe questioned as they all waited anxiously for his reply.

"Well," Renard leaned in towards them, an unsettling gleam in his eye, "listen carefully. Here's what we're going to do…"

* * *

><p>When Juliette awoke, she was vaguely aware of a pounding headache and being sore <em>all over<em>. She blinked in the dim light, trying to get her bearings, when she suddenly realized she had no idea where she was.

In rising panic, she sat up abruptly, immediately regretting the movement as the world swam before her eyes. She closed her eyes, grabbing her head and taking deep breaths to steady herself as the pounding in her head steadily increased. Once the threat of vomiting had passed, she slowly took her hands away and opened her eyes.

She was surprised to see that her hands were blood stained, and with a shaking hand she reached up to touch her temple again, realizing that she was bleeding from a wound on the side of her head. That's when she finally looked up at her surroundings and realized she was in a small room, lying on a concrete floor. There were several racks along the sides of each wall that vaguely looked like racks that one would store a rifle or shotgun on. She squinted into the darkness, noting there was a solid metal door and only a small barred window at the very top of the back wall.

She was trapped.

Memories of the Verrat attacking her at home suddenly washed over her as she recalled what had happened. She must have taken a really hard blow to the head to not have immediately remembered _that_.

Bile rose suddenly in the back of her throat as she remembered the attack, how they had thrown her roughly to floor and struck her…

_The baby._

She instinctively reached her hands out to grasp her rounded stomach, blinking back tears of fear and anger. There was no way to know if the baby had been hurt during the attack, but with the force they had used to knock her out and take her captive…

The sudden _thump thump_ under her hand brought more tears to her eyes, but this time tears of happiness. She bit back a sob of relief as the steady movement continued under her hand. The baby was moving, so as far as she could tell, the baby was ok.

Juliette let out a shaky sigh, drying her tears sloppily with the back of her hand, only to scramble unsteadily to her feet a moment later as the metal lock suddenly turned, the door creaking slowly open.

Three of the Verrat agents entered the room, eyeing her with a predatory gaze. Juliette instinctively moved backwards until she hit the far wall of the small room, one of the gun racks pushing uncomfortably into her back as she tried to put as much distance as possible between her and the agents.

"Oh good, you're awake," one of the agents snarled in a heavily accented voice, shifting back to reveal his human shape in the dim moonlight shining in through the doorway. He had a jagged scar on his face just below his left eye, and his teeth still looked like fangs even out of his Wesen form.

"What do you want from me?" Juliette questioned angrily, silently grateful she was able to hide the shaking of her voice.

The agent chuckled, shaking his head with a laugh as he looked at his companions, before turning back to Juliette.

"It's not so much what we want from _you_," the agent smiled at her, but it wasn't a pleasant smile, "it's what we want from the Grimm. I guess we'll see how much you," he gestured at her stomach then, "and your baby are really worth to him."

Juliette unconsciously wrapped her arms around her stomach, as if she could physically shield the baby from them, and tried to mask the fear in her voice as she answered.

"You won't get away with this," she spat back, narrowing her eyes at the Verrat agents. "If you let me go now, unharmed, Nick might let you live. Just let me go, and this can all end now. There's no need for more violence."

"Did you hear that boys? No more violence!" the agent with the scar laughed again, once again looking at the other two agents, before wheeling around angrily and striding towards Juliette.

She shrunk back in fear, but not before taking a swing at the agent's chin as he got close. But one of the other agents was there in an instant, grabbing her wrist and wrenching it behind her painfully, causing her to cry out.

"My, my, you are a feisty one," the first agent snarled in her face, "I can see why the Grimm likes you." Without any warning, he suddenly wrapped his fingers around Juliette's throat and picked her up off the ground.

Juliette's vision went white as he cut off her air supply, kicking and lashing out wildly as she tried uselessly to drag more air into her lungs. She felt one of her feet land a solid blow and heard a pained grunt along with a satisfying crunch, but it did nothing to relent the icy grip on her neck.

After what felt like an eternity, the agent finally released his hold on her, throwing her carelessly to the ground. She sat on the cold concrete floor, gasping desperately for air.

After a moment, she looked up to see one of the other agents hunched over and holding his bleeding nose from where she had kicked him, and the first agent with the scar glaring murderously down at her.

"Try and be a good hostage, and we may just let you and your baby live long enough to see your Grimm fail at trying to save you. Don't test me again."

With that, he turned to the other two agents, swearing in irritation at the one who had actually gotten his nose broken by a _mere human_, and with that they strode out of the room and locked the door securely behind them.

Taking in some more shaky breaths, Juliette sat back, leaning against the cold brick wall behind her, trembling slightly as she regained her composure. She shivered against the chill night air, really wishing she hadn't thought it was a good idea to wear nothing more than a comfy sweater dress around the house in the middle of winter. Of course, she hadn't really counted on _this_ happening, either.

She closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the wall. A moment later, her eyes flew open as she let out a cry of pain, clutching her stomach as the wave of agony washed over her. Eyes wide, Juliette sat up straighter, rubbing the side of her belly gently and desperately hoping that the baby was ok. She took a couple of deep breaths to try and calm her nerves, but her hands were shaking now, both from the cold and from fear.

_What's happening? _

A few minutes later, another strong pulsing pain coursed through her, radiating from her back up through her abdomen, causing her to lean forward, grasping her stomach as she realized with dread what it was.

She was going into labor.

"No," she whispered into the darkened room in disbelief as the pain subsided once again, trying to catch her breath, "no. No baby. Not here, please not here…"

She couldn't give birth in this hell hole while she was being held captive by Nick's enemies. It would be a death sentence for her and the baby, that much she was sure of.

Juliette let out a strangled cry as another contraction came, but this time she tried to relax and breathe through it, frantically trying to recall any strategies from her birthing classes. After it was over, she leaned back against the cold wall once again, staring at the ceiling of her concrete prison and hoping against all hope that the others would find her in time.

"Nick…where are you?"

* * *

><p><em>TBC<em>


End file.
